


for the last time

by grifs



Category: Banana Bus Squad
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Grand Theft Auto Setting, Detective Mini, Gang AU, GayTM, How Do I Tag, M/M, Swearing, Violence, all ohm wants to do is protect bryce but bryce just wants to see ohm again, bryce and ohm are Oblivious, bryce whump tho, mini is super gay and he knows it, nice
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-13
Updated: 2016-11-28
Packaged: 2018-08-08 13:55:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,922
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7760386
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/grifs/pseuds/grifs
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bryce keeps stumbling upon Ohm and his gang's heists, and frankly, it's getting really fucking annoying.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. one

**Author's Note:**

  * For [starryshiroganes](https://archiveofourown.org/users/starryshiroganes/gifts).



> so i wrote this for grace bc i know she loves gang aus and ive been sorta awol recently so as ive had this idea for a while i thought id write it. this is for u friend

 

Laying awake at 3 in the morning was _not_ Bryce's idea of fun, but here he was anyway. He had an assignment to finish, and he'd decided it could wait until he's had enough sleep to warrant being completely awake. Now, though, he figured, one of Luke's triple distilled caffeine death drinks would most likely suffice.

He glared at the ceiling, and was sure he could feel the dark circles under his eyes. An audible sigh passed Bryce's lips, and he ran a hand through his messy hair.

Closing his eyes briefly, before swinging his legs over the bed, he stood up. He shoved a pair of sweatpants and a v-neck on he knew he'd left on the floor, grabbed his keys, and fumbled his way to the door in the darkness. Maybe he should have turned the light on, he thought. He slips some shoes on, and locked the door behind him.

The hallway, luckily, is illuminated. Bryce heads to the end, and quickly presses the button for the elevator.

On the ride down, he closes his eyes and leans his head back. He reaches for his phone, realising he's left it in the apartment. Bryce rubs a hand across his face tiredly. He's only heading to the store. But what about the Pokémon?

A smile creeps onto his face due to his own joke, and he doesn't care that much because he's alone, and it's 3 AM.  

Bryce immediately regrets leaving the building. It is winter, he supposed.

"Freezin' my ass off for some Doritos." He mutters to himself, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

He picked up his pace on the dirty sidewalk, wanting to get his food and get back without dying of hypothermia. Bryce was craving doritos, and the closest store that sold them was a gas station a few blocks down. He'd cursed his stomach for forcing him out in this cold.

By the time he reached the store, he'd opened the door and stepped in as quick as he could. It wasn't much warmer in there, but he definitely appreciated the slight improvement.

He kept his head down, being too tired to even smile at the cashier, and headed straight for his aisle. He grabbed a bag - cool ranch flavour - and headed to the till.

Bryce stopped dead in his tracks when he lifted his head to find three masked men with guns stood blocking the way. His mouth dropped open and immediately tried to apologise, stuttering letters and sounds. He watched the man in the rabbit-eared hoodie look up and down before chuckling. Bryce quirked an eyebrow in spite of his fear as the other two turned to look at him.

"Let him take the chips."

The others shrugged, and soon went back to doing whatever criminal activity they were doing. When Bryce didn't move, the man in a pig mask gestured expressively with his gun. Bryce's mind caught up and he ran. He heard a mutter, _do you want me to make sure he gets home safe?_ Bryce wasn't exactly street-smart, but he understood that was definitely not a show of care for his safety.

He'd already reached the sidewalk when the man in the rabbit hoodie had walked outside.

Bryce's eyes widened more, if that was even possible, and stumbled backwards, away from him. He tried to walk backwards, so he was facing the masked man, but still walking away from the danger.

The man threw his hands up, one still holding his pistol, in exasperation.

"You'll trip if you do that all the way." He shouted across the parking lot as he shook his head, and Bryce did not have a _fucking clue_ what was happening.

"I'm - I'm not gonna call the police, man, I haven't even got my phone on me!" Bryce had raised his hands unconsciously in his defense.

"Yeah, and as much as I believe that, kid, I gotta make sure." The man casually shrugged.

Bryce had forgotten about the cold now, and decided it was safer to turn his back to the man. He sped-walked to the end of the street, and he heard the man behind him sigh.

Quiet footsteps behind him soon became Bryce walking step-in-step with a guy who's been robbing a gas station not 5 minutes before.

He turned to look at the mask. It unnerved him, not being able to see the man’s eyes or nose, and just simply how his mouth moved as he breathed. (Honestly, even just his mouth was pretty hot, but he was a _criminal_ , Bryce, no.)

Bryce desperately wanted to lead him to the wrong place - anywhere that meant he wouldn't know where he lived - but soon decided that would most likely end up worse for him.

The two had walked in silence for a few minutes, and in that time Bryce had started shivering. He didn't know whether it was the cold, or whether it was out of fear. The man must have noticed him shivering, he thought, as he knew it had become violent. Wearing only a t-shirt in winter was a bad decision on his part. A bag was unzipped next to him, and he closed his eyes.

He didn't think this was how he was going to die.

Instead, he flinched when the man tapped his shoulder and offered him a maroon hoodie. Bryce didn't take it.

The man wasn’t surprised Bryce hadn’t taken it, just annoyance in the sigh he let out.

"Look, kid. You're freezing, and there are a shit ton of cameras up here. I don't want you to be spotted with me anymore than you do. Just put it on." Bryce could swear he heard a twinge of compassion in the man's voice, but shook it off. He snatched the hoodie from the hand still in front of him and put it on. Bryce had swiftly put it over his head, and the man chuckled. "Better?"

Bryce bit his lip and looked down, still shaking like a leaf.

After another few silent minutes, the two men side by side, Bryce reached his apartment block. He turned to the man, and began to take the hoodie off.

The man stopped him wordlessly, holding the door open for Bryce.

Before Bryce started up the stairs, rabbit hoodie called out to him.

"Don't do that shit again, yeah? I might not be there to save your ass."

Bryce nodded, turning round.

When he reached his floor, he threw an inconspicuous glance out the window to see if the older was still out there. Bryce hadn't managed to make himself unnoticed, and the man grinned and gave him a mock-salute as he walked away.

Bryce made it to his door, and unlocked it before collapsing on the other side. What the _fuck_ had just happened?

He rubbed his face with his hands and muttered some curses, before throwing the bag of chips onto a counter and going back to bed.

- 

A combination of sleep-deprivation and the stress he'd had that night had him asleep until midday. Or that was what Bryce assumed it was.

He'd left the maroon hoodie on the floor where he's thrown it last night - apparently he was scared to touch it. It had joined of the growing pile of dirty clothes collecting on Bryce’s floor. Bryce knew he was being stupid. He could probably hand that hoodie into the police and tell them what he knew, but he couldn't help but think _he didn't want to_.

Brewing a coffee because he'd slept through his classes that day, he felt odd. He'd already turned the news on to see if the cashier was okay. After he knew that they hadn't caused too much harm, he could let himself relax a little. But he still felt odd, even when he found out the cashier had come out of it with only a bruised rib and a concussion.

Armed with his laptop, Bryce wanted to use the rest of his day to do something useful.

So, six hours, and four mugs of coffee later, Bryce had found out all - slightly limited, but all - that he could about Ohmwrecker and the gang he was in.

-

"Are you fucking kidding me?"

If Bryce was doing this intentionally, he'd have been an amazing police officer.

Before him stood four men, armed with too many guns, wearing body armour and masks. Unsurprisingly, the man in the rabbit hoodie was also there.

Bryce knew he must have the worst luck in the history of bad luck.

He tried to creep out slowly, not wanting to repeat anything. But Bryce was never the quietest, most graceful of people. All four snapped round, their guns raised to him.

Ohm immediately recognised him, and lowered his gun, but not enough to be noticeable to those beside him. The kid looked like a deer caught in a truck's headlights.

"Look, I- I'm just gonna go."

The one who wasn't there the last time Bryce stumbled upon the group - he was wearing an owl mask, actually - lowered his gun. "Ohm, take care of him." With that, three turned back around. Bryce was left staring at the man in the rabbit hoodie.

The man Bryce now knew as Ohmwrecker, or Ohm apparently, supplied a _yessir_ before striding forward and grabbing Bryce's arm. The student let out a surprised yelp, not expecting to be dragged outside by the man who walked him home.

He was pulled into a dark alley, and of course, Bryce assumed the worst.

"What the shit do you think you're doing, kid?" Bryce's back hit the wall of the alley roughly, and he cowered below the taller man.

Bryce started to speak, Ohm cutting him off with a hand pushing the his shoulder further into the wall.

He didn't try to speak again.

Ohm stepped back and ran his hand across his face.

"Now I'm on fucking babysitting duty." Ohm muttered, thinking the kid he's scaring the life out of didn't hear.

Bryce didn't want to cry, but he was pretty close to. He brought a shaking hand up to rake through his hair.

Ohm walked back up to him, leaning his hand on the wall directly next to Bryce's head. Ohm didn't doubt for a second that Bryce didn't know how to fight. He knew he was going a bit far, but the kid deserved it.

Ohm looked into Bryce's eyes, and he felt a wave of regret when he saw how close the kid was to tears. He'd realised by now that Bryce wasn't really a kid - in fact, he wasn't a whole lot younger than Ohm. But the name had stuck.

He pulled away again, listening to the shaky sigh leave Bryce's lips.

"Please don't kill me."

Bryce had whispered the words so quietly that Ohm wasn't sure if he'd heard him or just imagined it.

He sighed.

"I'm not gonna kill you, kid."

"You're not?" Bryce's eyes were hopeful.

"No. I'm just-" Ohm sighed again, and ran a hand over his face, "I do gotta knock you out, though."

Bryce coughed, "What? Why?"

"Do you know who they are, in there? One of them is my boss. You see, if I don't do what he's trained me to do, he'll kill me."

There was a pause where neither said anything, and only looked at each other. Bryce was terrified out of his mind, and _oh my god_ he knew he shouldn't be sympathising with a criminal, but _fucking hell_ , he was.

"Okay." The student was still shaking, both from the cold and from fear.

He quirked an eyebrow under his mask, "okay?" He asked, carefully.

Bryce nodded.

Ohm looked at the man with admiration, and sighed. "I would say I'm sorry you keep getting caught up in this shit, kid, but it's really your own fault. Why are you constantly out this late anyways?" Ohm fell back to lean against the opposite wall, giving Bryce some more breathing room.

Bryce shrugged. "Just insomnia and bad timing, I guess."

The comment made Ohm chuckle, but the friendly atmosphere they'd established dropped as soon as it had began. He lunged forward to the other wall, and rested his hand above Bryce's head again. He managed to shield Bryce slightly from the road outside, and whispered.

"They're coming. I'm gonna knock you out, okay? Let's put on a show." Ohm's mask didn't cover his mouth, so Bryce watched as his lips twisted into a slight smirk. He heard the others shout from the road.

"You done, Ohm?" They laughed - while Ohm whispered a _I'm really sorry_ in Bryce's ear and grabbed his head to hit against the wall. He cringed as he had to let Bryce's body fall to the floor and crumple beneath his feet. But, he pulled on a smile as he turned to his gang.

"The hell took you so long?" Marcel had asked him, and with a laugh, Ohm shrugged.

"He was hot!"

-

Bryce had been counting. It had become somewhat of a hobby to Bryce, obviously one he didn’t share with anyone, but it happened so often that Bryce called himself a regular. He couldn’t decide if Ohm had seen him every time he’d seen Ohm, but there were plenty of times where Ohm had to hide Bryce from being recognised by the other members - so much for “not being there to save his ass.”

The last time Bryce ran into Ohm was a few months later.

Bryce had, once again, gone for a walk early in the morning. He knew he should probably stop, but it was the only way he knew to make sure he'd sleep. And he wouldn’t admit that however fucking terrifying it was constantly crashing a gang’s heists, he sort of liked seeing the one in the rabbit hoodie.

This time, though, was less eventful than many. He'd stumbled into the middle of their drug deal, but with only Ohm spotting him. He mouthed a _run_ before Bryce had a chance to fuck himself over. He was glad Bryce followed his instruction without a hesitation this time.

Bryce had run a fair distance before falling down onto a bench and pulling out his phone. He started playing a game of 2048 to calm his shaking fingers, seeming to do the opposite when he couldn't swipe the way he wanted to.

"How's your head?" Came from behind Bryce. And while he recognised the voice instantly, he still jumped up. He scratched the back of his head, which had scabbed by now, and was healing well.

Bryce sighed, but didn't answer Ohm's question.

"I'm sorry, kid."

A smile crept on to the students face.

"You should stop saying sorry. It doesn't fit your character."

Ohm shrugged, even though he wasn't sure if Bryce could see it.

Bryce had sat back down on the bench, and Ohm joined him.

The silence that followed wasn't awkward, but deafening.

Ohm was the first to speak.

"Stay safe, kid."

Bryce smiled, “No promises. Make sure you do too.”

“That’s probably not the best thing to say to someone in my line of work, y’know.”

Bryce sighed for the millionth time that day, and looked at Ohm’s masked face.

“Goodbye, Ohmwrecker.”

With that, Bryce left. Ohm carried on sitting, knowing his pseudo identity wasn't exactly secret, but he wasn't sure he enjoyed Bryce knowing who he was. _Bye, kid._ He didn't even know his name. It was better that way.

Ohm didn't know anything about the kid, but he hoped he did okay.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i kno this is a gift but have the angst oops


	2. two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> agh okay im sorry this is short, late not edited and kinda shitty bc life's been tough recently bUT i managed to write this quickly in the hospital so i hope ye enjoy <33

The gunshot was loud. It rang through the warehouse, reverberating in Ohm’s ears.

Ohm had flinched - and his heart had stopped for a second, only pulling himself together enough to raise his gun at the gang mirroring his opposite them. He didn’t know what Evan had gotten them into now; he never questioned it, but when he’d said there would be no guns, Ohm was suspicious to say the least. Now he had a reason to be.

Sure, he’d been in gunfights before, but it still scared him. He liked to know when he’d need to shoot someone - not be thrown into something with no knowledge of the situation.

“What’s happened, Nogla?” The gang’s boss demanded, not taking his eyes or off Evan.

“Spy, sir.”

“Is he dead?” Ohm could practically feel the obnoxious aura of the man even the other end of the warehouse.

“Not yet.”

The man chuckled, and Ohm frowned, _sadistic fuck._

He heard the familiar shuffling of a person being dragged, and soon after spotted a familiar mop of bright blonde hair.

Ohm held his breath.

It couldn’t be.

The man they dragged in left a trail of blood behind him, his chest rapidly trying to get the oxygen he needed. Nogla pulled him by his underarms until they reached his boss, where he dropped the man roughly onto the ground.

As soon as the man collapsed, he curled up on himself, not even looking up at the danger surrounding him. He looked so young, so hurt, so scared.

And Ohm recognised him instantly.

He swore under his breath, and he felt both Tyler and Evan give him a side eye. Ohm quietly cursed again, barely keeping himself still. Hardly anything was stopping him from running towards the gang that would most certainly shoot him, and gathering Bryce up in his arms.

His wound looked bad - and Ohm knew the student had never been shot before. He could see it in his eyes, and _knew_ Bryce had never felt this kind of pain before.

“Lui, should we do this politely? Put yours down, we’ll drop ours. Then you can have some fun with the kid.”

Lui, the other gang’s boss, considered the offer for a second, then holstered his pistol.

The rest followed suit, Ohm’s crew only dropping their pieces once Evan had.

“I didn’t know you were into that, Vanoss.”

Evan chuckled, and Ohm almost shivered at how out of character it was.

In the time it had taken Lui to walk forward and crouch in front of Bryce, Tyler had strided over to Ohm and gripped his arm roughly. He brought his masked pig face too close to Ohm’s, and whispered.

“What the fuck is your deal?” There was spite in Tyler’s voice, and even though Ohm knew he’d be angry, it threw him off guard.

When Ohm didn’t answer him, Tyler squeezed Ohm’s arm, Ohm’s muscles tensing underneath his grip.

“Boss?” Tyler had his teeth gritted, waiting for Evan to turn around.

“What?” Evan had his back to the other gang, trusting his crew enough to watch his back, and instead faced Tyler and Ohm.

“Tell Ohm to stop being a fucking freak and get his head out of his fuckin’ ass.”

Evan’s eyes, instead of reflecting Tyler’s irritance, showed concern. He dismissed Tyler with a wave of his hand, and the pig left grumbling to himself. 

“You know him.”

It was never a secret that Evan could see right through any of his crew. It still was weird when he said exactly what they were thinking, though.

Ohm simply nodded, not knowing what he could say that would validate his fear.

Evan patted Ohm’s shoulder, and flinched when he heard a cry from Bryce behind him. Ohm’s eyes closed unconsciously, as he winced on Bryce’s behalf. He was glad Evan had blocked his view because he didn’t think he could see that without lashing out at Lui. Ohm suspected Evan knew this as well.

“Vanoss.”

Evan turned around at his code name, “Lui?”

Lui sent his man with the duffle they’d come here for forward, where Evan had sent Brock to meet in the middle. They exchanged duffles, and walked back to their respective crews.

“Always good doing business with you, Lui.” Evan smiled under his mask, the fake sincerity showing through. With that, Lui and his crew left.

The second Ohm lost sight of them, he sprinted to the crumpled body across the room.

Bryce was still curled up, clutching at his stomach. Ohm used a hand to gently roll Bryce to face him, and brushed his hair back with the other. He’d knelt in the growing pool of blood, but he didn’t notice. He also didn’t notice he’d started whispering comfort to the kid, telling him you’ll be okay, kid. Ohm’s dark hoodie shrugged off his shoulders and he scrunched it up to press on Bryce’s abdomen. He thanked up above that whoever shot the kid had terrible aim, and prayed it hadn’t hit anything important. Ohm realised there wasn’t much he could do here, and it killed him.

A gentle, “We have to go, Ohm.” from Evan was spoken behind him, but Ohm didn’t react, only pressing his hoodie further. He’d heard the sirens. He didn’t want to think about it.  
It terrified Ohm that he was almost willing to get caught if it meant this kid lived.

His name was said again, and another time, until Ohm finally reacted.

Evan’s crude owl mask was staring down at him, and Ohm had to work to see Evan as Evan, not Vanoss.

In a split second decision, Ohm pulled his mask off.

Tyler only just managed to catch the bundle of bloodied hoodie and mask as it was thrown at him. The others watched in awe as Ohm easily picked the kid up bridle style.

“I’m taking him to a hospital.”

Brock began to object, but Evan simply nodded and let him go. It was times like this Ohm respected Evan more than he normally did; he admired the younger man, then nodded at him. He walked as fast as he could without knocking the man in his arms, and headed for the door.

His name was shouted, and he turned his head. _Don’t do anything stupid._

Ohm grinned, and started off again.

-

Bryce had fallen in and out of consciousness throughout the journey, with Ohm never stopping his mutters of comfort.

He reached the hospital, stumbling in through the doors to the ER with a frantic shout for help. Nurses around him quickly spotted the wounded and bloodstained man in his arms, and Ohm’s time seemed to slow down as he’d placed Bryce on a bed and watched him get wheeled away as a nurse held him back, telling him he couldn’t follow Bryce. _I have to, you don’t understand._ Bryce’s eyes were open, and he reached out weakly for Ohm. He was sure he heard the kid mutter his name before he disappeared out of his sight, and knew he wouldn’t forget the pain in his voice easily.

The nurse’s hands on his shoulders were cold, but small and calming. _Sir, please._

It was a few minutes before the nurse, Lauren, was confident Ohm wouldn’t take off running through their ward, and gave him a seat in a consultation room. He was given a glass of water, and offered pain killers. He told them, no, he wasn’t hurt. Ohm sat in the small room for a while, calming himself. His hands stopped shaking, so he could hold his glass, and soon his leg had stopped bouncing up and down. He’d slid the curtain across to stick his head out, and looked for Lauren. He caught her gaze, and smiled as she stood up from her desk and shuffled over to him.

“So, you think you can tell me what happened?” She said, as she slid the curtain shut behind her and took a seat across from Ohm. 

“I just, uh - I just found him like that, in an alley a few blocks from here. I don’t know if he was mugged, or what.” Ohm was glad he took those theatre classes in high school - his acting was top tier as he spouted the first lie he could think of. He asked her if he could stay in here a while, and she smiled kindly, telling him to take all the time he needed. His leg bounce was back, and he rested his elbows on his shaking knees to hold his head in his hands. He took measured, deep breaths, trying to remember what the count was. Ohm settled for five in, eight out. He didn’t know why he was so shook up over this. He’d watched people die before. He’d watched people he cared about die before, and he didn’t feel as nervous then as he did now.

He stayed in that room for a time, knowing Lauren would update him on Bryce if anything happened. Sure enough, she came in, and told him Bryce was in surgery. Ohm shivered, and followed her out to the waiting room. He looked around at the faces he met there, and felt a weight fall on his shoulders. Everyone here was worried about their loved ones, and Ohm was here waiting about a kid he didn’t even know the name of. 

After a few hours, and finding out Bryce was in intensive care, but stable, Ohm thanked the doctors firmly, and went home. The thought of Bryce, waking up alone in a hospital bed scared him, and Ohm knew he wanted to stay. But the kid had never seen him without his mask, and Ohm didn’t want him to wake up to a stranger sat by his bedside.

Or, at least, that’s what he convinced himself.

-

“That’s a lot of guns.”

“I told you it was.”

Ohm sent Tyler a death glare, making sure to avoid Evan’s line of sight.

“How many guns do you think is worth that much cash?” Evan laughed absentmindedly, his attention taken by his newly acquired sniper rifle.

The crew were scattered around in Evan’s apartment, a forgotten programme on the TV, the men much more interested in the bad of weapons they’d collected. Ohm had walked in a few hours later. He was glad the others hadn’t mentioned the incident - they simply offered him a beer, then both his mask and hoodie when he sauntered in. Tyler was the only one who seemed off with Ohm, but he too was distracted by the carbine rifle he held in his hands. Ohm chuckled, noticing similar grins on his friends’ faces, not caring for the reason they were so happy. He was the only one paying attention to the show, sipping his beer slowly as the others drank theirs and laughed into the night.


	3. three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> bit of a longer chapter because i havent updated in a while wahey (its also not as edited as i would like it to be but i just wanted to post it so i might edit later)

Whoever was at his door could fuck off.

Bryce rolled over, pulling his covers with him so his legs were exposed to the cold October breeze. He fumbled for his phone, patting the sheets blindly. Squinting his eyes, he inwardly screamed, and outwardly groaned. It was 4 AM, and someone was knocking at his door. 

It had gone ignored for over 10 minutes, with Bryce falling in and out of sleep this early in the morning. He didn’t particularly want to answer it, so he figured if he left them long enough, they’d go away. He felt like a child, but after the week he’d had, he could let himself be a child.

When Bryce reached for his phone again, 20 minutes had passed. His side was burning from all the tossing and turning he’d been doing, trying to block out whoever was there.

Dropping his phone, he groaned and rolled over onto his front. He grabbed a pillow and put it over his ears, sighing gratefully when the headache seemed to subside. It wasn’t until he heard a quiet, careful call out.

“Come on, Bryce, wake up.” 

The male voice appeared to be speaking to himself, sounding tired and exasperated. Bryce sat up slowly, letting his pillow fall to the bed sheets.

He squinted, blinking slowly as he turned on his phone’s flashlight. He flashed it around his room, spotting a pair of grey sweatpants on the floor and gingerly lifting himself off the bed to grab them.

He turned on the living room light when he opened his bedroom door, taking a second to let his eyes get used to it. He padded across the wooden floor, deliberately avoiding the squeaky floorboards so not to wake his neighbours. He’d be surprised if they hadn’t already woken at all the knocking, though.

He pulled the door open slightly, knowing his chain was broken, and peered at the man stood outside. He was careful to hide his bandaged torso behind the door.

Bryce looked down to the slightly shorter man who gazed up surprised.

“Thank god.”

The man pushed the door, forcing Bryce to move and let the man in his apartment. Bryce started to protest, using his arm to weakly try to cover his wound. Before he could speak, however, the shorter man pulled out a badge and flipped it at Bryce.  _ FBI. _

“And I know you got shot, so you can stop hiding it.” He turned back to Bryce, having glanced around his apartment briefly. Bryce’s arm fell to his side slowly, his eyebrows furrowing, but took the other man’s hand when he extended it.

“Call me Mini.”

“Bryce.” said Bryce delicately, understanding the man - Mini - already knew his name.

“Yeah, I know, Bryce McQuaid, chemistry major at ULSA, age 21. Don’t worry about it. Now, I need you to get your shit together.”

Bryce barked out a laugh, “What?”

“Pack whatever you’ll need for a week or so. Medication, underwear, teddy bears, condoms. Whatever.” Mini rolled his eyes, still looking around Bryce’s home.

Bryce was amazed. A man he’d barely met, who didn’t tell him his real name, was telling him to pack and go somewhere with him.

Mini turned back to him, looking him in the eyes. Bryce laughed again, utterly confused with the situation.

“No.” Bryce’s tone was humorous, finding this hilarious.

Mini didn’t see the joke, though.

“Look, Bryce - I know this is weird, but you have to trust me.” He paused in thought. “It’s not a coincidence you were shot by the Vagos last week.”

The humour dropped from the atmosphere, and Bryce was left disorientated and afraid. He was shot by the  _ Vagos? _ The Vagos, as in, one of the biggest gangs in Los Santos - with some of the most wanted men as members. He was told he’d been mugged. Not shot by gang members.

Ohmwrecker slipped into his mind for a split second. But, the thought left as quickly as it had appeared. Bryce couldn’t lay blame for something he didn’t understand yet, so he wasn’t going to think about Ohm.

Mini had made himself comfortable on the small couch in Bryce’s living room, scrolling through something on his phone. Whereas Bryce - well, Bryce hadn't moved an inch since the detective mentioned the Vagos.

The tired student sighed, leant against the wall, and rubbed his free eyes of sleep. The situation was far from ideal,  _ but what could he do? _ Other than follow the orders of the strangely trustworthy detective sat his apartment, Bryce didn’t know.

And that’s how he found himself in a dingy, dark motel room, sharing with a man he’d met only a few hours ago. He and Mini had really bonded in the time they’d spend driving out of town - Bryce asking questions but never really getting an answer in reply.

The other male had been whistling a quiet melody to himself for over 10 minutes, and it was beginning to get on Mini’s nerves. It threw Mini’s senses off. He was attempting to listen carefully above the television and the sounds of the road outside to hear gunshots, or better yet, none. Both he and Bryce sat on the edge - metaphorically and literally, on the bottom of their respective beds.

Despite all of this, Mini wasn’t worried. He assumed he would be, and he prepared for it; he just  _ wasn’t _ . Somehow, he knew someone would fuck up this heist, and seeing as he was on babysitting duty and not able to bail the crew out this time, he wasn’t confident. They had always managed to get out in the past, and Mini wasn’t sure if it was because of him, or whether they’d really be fine without his help. He hoped they’d get out without him.

But surprisingly, he’d began to find Bryce’s incessant nervous whistling almost comforting, distracting him from the haunting sounds he was expecting. He rolled his shoulders, relaxing his tensed muscles, then standing up and stretching more. Bryce looked up from the focus on his phone, quirking an eyebrow. Mini threw him a grin before collecting his phone and unlocking the door, letting it gently open with the wind.

“You hungry?”

The student seemed to think for a second, sneaked a glance at his stomach, and spoke with a smirk.

“You paying?”

Mini rolled his eyes, shrugging. “‘Course.”

Bryce grinned, following Mini outside.

The two headed to the nearest Taco Bell, because  _ it’s the fucking best, dude.  _ Bryce wasn’t a fan, but due to his stomach’s complaints he agreed anyways. Plus, Mini was paying, so Bryce didn’t really have the right to protest. Bryce was childishly kicking a stone along, a few paces ahead of Mini before he realised the other had stopped. He heard Mini curse, then he was grabbing Bryce’s arm and forcefully pulling him off the street into a store. Bryce started to object, but shut himself up when he saw Mini pull a gun from the waistband of his navy slacks.

If Mini wasn’t completely focused on the gang members outside, he’d have nodded in approval at Bryce. From what he’d heard about the student, he didn’t really know when to shut up.

“Bryce, go through into the back. Ma’am, I’m FBI, can we use your store for a short while?” The short lady behind the counter nodded quickly, unlocking the door behind her. She gestured to Bryce with her head, and Mini hummed in agreement.

Bryce still didn’t know what the fuck was going on, so he figured he and the woman had a lot in common right now. He heard Mini talking to her, in a tone he hadn’t heard yet, behind him and she soon joined him in the back.

She looked terrified - and Bryce realised he had to step up. He looked around the storage room, collecting a wooden crate from one side and propped it up behind the shelf, giving the woman something to sit on.

“What’s happening?” Her voice was a whisper, staring up at Bryce who was at least a foot taller than herself, fear painted across her face.

Bryce sighed, before crouching in front of her. “I’m not really sure, but we’re going to be fine, okay? No one is going to get hurt, my friend outside will make sure of it.”

They both heard the door to the store open, and a pair of footsteps leaving the building. Bryce grimaced as the woman gasped audibly, then sending a sympathetic glance her way, he smiled. “It’ll be okay.”

She nodded, pushing the frizzy dark hair out of her face.

“Bryce.” He greeted, squeezing the hand she’d held out for him.

“Sara.”

A comfortable silence settled over the two, Bryce feeling like he should comfort her, while simultaneously needing the comfort himself. So, he simply gripped her hand tighter - for both of their benefits.

Muffled shots broke through the silence, distant, but still loud enough for Sara to squeak, slapping her hand over her mouth. “Are they coming for you?” She whispered, tears forming, and admittedly Bryce thinks just the same. He shook his head his eyes wide as he looked into hers. He heard another two shots, distinct and evenly spaced, before silence again. The screams they heard after the first shots had quieted, and Bryce closed his eyes, imagining he wasn’t here. Sara reached for Bryce’s other hand, but instead he leant forward, letting her rest her head on his shoulder. “It’s okay.” The girl leaned into him, as he forced himself to take deep breaths. He hoped if he could keep a calm demeanor, it would pass to Sara.

Mini burst through the back door then, muttering another string of curses. Bryce peered around the shelf as far as he could without letting go of Sara’s hand, and heard Mini sigh in relief. Bryce glanced back at the woman, giving her small hand one last squeeze before heading over to the flustered agent.

“Please tell me what the  _ hell  _ is going on, Mini.” Bryce phrased the question to Mini as a statement, exasperated with the situation. He, running his fingers through his now sweaty hair, shook his head not wanting to answer.

“Vagos. Think you know something about the gang. Tried to get you in the hospital. Why I’m here.” Sentences punctuated by panting breaths, Mini attempted an explanation. Before Bryce had the chance to reply, Mini had grabbed a box of tissues, pulled a few out, and slapped them on his arm. “We have to go.”

Bryce watched in disbelief as Mini placed the open box back on the shelf it came from, then half ran over to Sara. A few hushed words were spoken, while Bryce watched from the other side of the storage room. When Mini had finished, he ushered the student away, but not until Bryce had said goodbye to the woman - he apologised as he was dragged away by the shorter man.

They found the back exit and Bryce followed Mini through countless alleyways until they reached their motel. Bryce wasn’t paying attention enough to remember the path, so just hoped the people looking for them couldn’t either. 

In the room, Mini closed the curtains and turned their lights off. Bryce wasn’t sure if it was all necessary, but went along with the detective.

The agent stumbled into their small, shared bathroom, still clutching the wad of tissues to his arm. Mini winced as he pulled them off over the sink, revealing the long, deep cut he had on his forearm. He ran the water lukewarm, angling himself so he could wash it. He wasn’t sure how he was going to explain this to his colleagues, but he wasn’t sure he’d ever really go back to them. If this turned out like he had an inkling it would, then Mini wouldn’t have a job, he wouldn’t have a boyfriend, and he probably wouldn’t have a life. The Vagos would both him and Tyler if they had the chance - especially now they knew he wasn’t really a fed.

The water stung his wound, with Mini cringing as he called Bryce.

“There’s a first aid kit in my bag, can you grab it?”

He took the shuffling from the other room as a yes, trying not to focus on the sting.

Grinning at Bryce when he brought the small red box in, he thanked him. But, surprisingly, Bryce didn’t put the kit into Mini’s extended hand, instead placed it onto the counter and opened it.

“I have a qualification.” Mumbled Bryce, fishing around for various items. Mini didn’t necessarily want Bryce to do it, but he figured the kid wanted to help with something, so let him carry on. He’d carefully wiped the cut, drying it with a towel first then using antiseptic on it. Mini sat himself down on the edge of the bathtub, finally taking the time to get his breath back fully.

Neither spoke again until Bryce had bandaged it, telling him he didn’t need stitches.

“Now. Explain.” Bryce had attempted to sound forceful, but the waver in his voice had betrayed his intentions. He took a deep breath afterwards, and Mini realised he’d left him in the dark a little too much.

Mini sighed, before walking through to the main room to their kitchen. He opened the fridge, and pulled out two beers. He held one out to Bryce, who refused.

“I don’t drink.”

“What college student  _ doesn’t _ drink?” Mini laughed, bringing a smile to Bryce’s melancholy face.

“Just me, apparently.” The blonde laughed, pulling out a chair.

Mini gave him a look, shrugged, and popped the top off of his bottle. “More for me.” He grinned at Bryce, who rolled his eyes.

The agent knew some of what he should and shouldn’t tell Bryce, but the line wasn’t clear. He wasn’t fully involved in their argument with the Vagos, and he was definitely glad. But, it meant he was blurry on some of the information. He didn’t want to lie to Bryce; but otherwise, he wouldn’t find out everything he wanted to know. Mini was conflicted, and thought about calling Tyler. He’d already seen the message telling him everything had gone fine, but hadn’t replied yet.

He then thought about calling Ohm, knowing Tyler wouldn’t be happy. Again, he was conflicted. Tyler would be even more annoyed if he found out he was dealing with crew stuff and not involving him or Evan.

“Okay.” Mini heaved a little, trying to find the right words.

“So - you were shot. We know that, and you have the scar to prove it. You were shot by the Vagos, because they think you were a spy. I don’t know if you remember when that happened, but I don’t know what went on either so I can’t help you there.”

Bryce nodded.

“Then, you got taken to the hospital. You thought it was a mugging, because that’s what the hospital were told. The guy who took you lied, because he didn’t want you involved in this any more than you had to be.”   
  
Bryce’s thoughts again went to Ohmwrecker - he didn’t even know whether he was anything to do with them, but he still thought of him.

“I was in the hospital when you were, because we needed to make sure the Vagos thought you died, and would leave you alone. As I hope you’ve realised by now, I’m not the most loyal FBI agent. I’m involved with one of the Vagos’ rival gangs, and as I had a good excuse to watch you, I did.” Mini paused to sigh.

“I shot one of them before he could get to you. And that was a hell of a lot more difficult to, y’know, cover up without telling my handler about you. The guy got away though, so that’s why I’m here now.” Bryce looked at the floor, fiddling with his thumbs. He hated when people did things especially for him, or fussed over him. He hated that it was really his fault Mini had gotten into trouble with his work, especially if he was already on the edge due to being corrupt.

That threw Bryce off of the comfortable place he’d found in this situation. How could he trust a corrupt agent? He didn’t know if Mini really did want to help him or not - what if he was faking the whole thing?

The fact was, Bryce was confused, and concerned. His friends didn’t know where he was - it was bound to be a few hours since he was supposed to be in class, and here he was, talking with a corrupt FBI agent. He almost laughed at that; along with the dingy motel room, having thin maroon carpet and an oddly coloured stain on the patterned wallpaper. Lights flickering, and a door that didn’t fully shut to the bathroom. How he ended up here, he didn’t know. And he didn’t really care to find out. But he wondered if his friends were worried. Luke was practically his mom, so he wouldn’t be surprised if there were multiple missed calls on his cell, back at his apartment. 

Mini had paused his explanation, thinking of what he could and couldn’t tell the student. He’d noticed Bryce had stopped listening anyway, caught in his thoughts, and Mini wasn’t sure if he should bring him out. 

“I don’t really know what else you want to know, Bryce, but I’m sorry you got tangled up in it like this. And I know you’re scared - because honestly, so am I. I don’t know what they think you know, or why they want you, which is terrifying. Even more so for you.” Bryce nodded again.

“And, I - I don’t know what’s going to happen now. Whether we’ll have to tell my people you’re in danger, or if we won’t. I have to wait to hear from Oh- the crew. They’ll know what to do, and right now, it’s just a waiting game.” He patted Bryce’s shoulder, a feigned attempt at comfort, as the other rubbed his face in exasperation.

Bryce took a minute in his head to take it in. He figured Mini wasn’t lying; he didn’t know why he would go to all this trouble just to lie, but he knew there was easily a chance. He also wasn’t sure if he should trust Mini, but after what he’d done today for Bryce, he reckoned he was entitled to Bryce’s trust.

“So” Bryce began, “why did you pick your crew over the government?” He hoped that didn’t sound spiteful - he was genuinely interested. Due to Mini’s grin at him, pulling out a dining chair and sitting backwards on it, he guessed he hadn’t.

“Well, you see- I was on probation at the LSPD, a few years ago. It was the worst place I’d been so far. But, then I met this guy, I’m gonna call him, uh, Joe, because you probably can’t know his actual name yet. And I mean - he was in a cell when I first met him because the cops had gone to a scene, and I had to stay because I was only like, 19. So, I had to stand as a guard or something outside the cells, and it was horrible. But, this guy, Joe, started talking to me. And obviously, as my gay ass was young and naive, I listened. And I mean - he was  _ so nice. _ I didn’t think he was capable of being a criminal, to be honest-”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so you know, the girl i wrote this for (mediumladd, or grace) is now my girlfriend and im. super happy. like. i remember writing it to apologise for being a shitty friend but the reason i wasnt rly talking to her was bc i had a crush on her and i felt so bad n this was how i was gonna make it up to her lmao
> 
> but idk if this story actually had anything to do with us getting together or anything, but if you see this grace i lub you<333
> 
> BUT: detective mini is finally here! I changed him a lil just for some future events that are going to happen c: but i hope i did him justice, @secretaccountformysecretships (im like 70% sure thats your acc name im so sorry) let me use this headcanon in my story so thank :)))
> 
> have a good day everyone!!! X X


	4. four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shit, Ohm, where are you

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey and welcome back to whose fic is it anyways
> 
> (read the end notes)

Scratchy sheets, cold air, and smoke clouded Bryce’s senses as he woke, his mind foggy and his eyelids heavy. He reached a hand up to rub the sleep from his eyes, before he squinted at the daylight. Pushing the sheets down, he sat propping himself up on his forearms. He yawned loudly, stretching his arms above him.

  
“Afternoon,” Mini’s voice was croaky, sounding like he’d only recently woken too.

  
“Shut up.” Bryce groaned, his voice deep and hoarse. He buried his head back into the pillow, falling onto his back on the bed. He heard Mini chuckle, the quiet sound reaching his ears despite the blockade.

  
Bryce sighed, letting his arms fall to his side, closing his eyes again, “Are you smoking?” His tone felt accusatory, and Mini understood - he wasn’t exactly obeying the law, and he was meant to enforce it.

  
There was a pause, Mini taking a deep breath. “Yeah. I’ll stop if you want.” He was leaning on the doorframe, blowing smoke out back. Bryce’s reply was simply a groan, interrupted by a cough. Mini took his last drag, stamping the blunt beneath his feet, then picking it up and flicking it as far away as he could. Bryce made an unintelligible sound of appreciation when Mini closed the door, the cold breeze blowing on Bryce’s legs through the thin sheet ceasing.

  
He sat up again, gazing at the other man - who was also fully dressed, and his bed made neatly - with glassy eyes.

  
Mini laughed at Bryce’s face, “Not a morning person?”

  
Bryce’s reply, again, was a groan - making Mini laugh loudly, coughing a little.

  
He checked his phone again - this was the seventh time in the last 10 minutes - frowning when nothing new appeared. Bryce had pulled himself from the clutches of sleep finally, his hair messy, unkempt. Mini sent him a smile before heading into the bathroom.

  
He looked at himself in the mirror; his eyes were dark, the bags under them looked like he hadn’t slept in three weeks. He scratched the scar under his eyebrow, biting his lip. Where was Tyler? He had always sent at least a message by now, telling him he was roughly okay. Mini hadn’t had that message yet, and even though he fought himself constantly not to worry about the other, he couldn’t help it.

He didn’t want to blame Bryce, but he was close to doing exactly that.

  
If he hadn’t been babysitting, then he could have been there to help the crew out.

  
He shook his head - over thinking would be his demise. His reflection looked rough, but hopefully not rough enough for Bryce to notice, but rough nonetheless. The man in question popped his head around the bathroom door, his hair flattened down to a respectable style, asking Mini if he wanted a coffee. Mini nodded, moving to get his wallet.

  
“I’ll get it, don’t worry,” Mini raised an eyebrow at Bryce, his suspicions raised.

  
“Where you heading?”

  
“Gotta be a coffee shop somewhere near here.” He shrugged. Humming in agreement, Mini grabbed his phone again. Bryce collected his, moving to the door.

  
“I’ll only be a few, yeah?”

-  
Ohm, unknowingly, had woken at the same time Bryce had.

  
Instead of scratchy sheets, Ohm woke to cold concrete, a stark change from the warm pool of blood he felt beneath his legs.

  
A hand reached to clutch his stomach, the other going to lift his too-heavy body off the floor. His fingers scrambled for a hold on the brick wall, eventually finding enough leverage to pull. He watched as the room around him unfolded, the blurred stained walls coming into focus with time. His vision was still blurred at the edges, but he hadn’t the time to notice.

  
Despite the room revealing its contents to Ohm, he still didn’t recognise it. He leant his back against the wall, panting heavily from his efforts pulling his almost dead weight of a body up. Cold, hard brick hit the back of his skull as he relaxed as much as he could.

  
He lifted his head up, hoping he had enough strength in his neck to keep it up - and searched the room for either his earpiece or his phone. He didn’t usually bring it on heists, but with Mini helping him out with the kid, he wanted to have it on him. He knew it was here; he remembers calling Tyler before he blacked out.

  
Slowly getting his breathing to a calmer pace, he curled his fingers around the familiar object a few feet to his left, where he’d been laid only minutes earlier. Reaching his phone and pulling it towards him felt like hours had passed. Then, unlocking his phone proved difficult with the amount his hands shook, but undeterred, he pushed on.

  
He first called Brock - he was the most reliable after a heist, especially after one like this. While it rang, he shuffled, trying to make himself more comfortable. He didn’t want Brock to hear he was hurt, and even though he would probably see straight through Ohm’s lie, he wanted to try.

  
When Brock didn’t answer, Ohm frowned, trying Tyler.

  
Tyler didn’t answer either.

  
He checked the time - 09:12. It’d only been a few hours, they wouldn’t have slept yet. Plus, he had cell service, so why weren’t they picking up?

  
He thought about calling Evan - but he knew Evan wouldn’t be at the apartment, and he most likely wouldn’t have his phone on him.  
Last resort was Mini. It was risky, but he knew Mini well enough to trust him to be subtle in front of Bryce.

  
Mini answered on the first ring, his voice a relief to Ohm.

  
“Hey-”

  
“What the fuck, Ohm?”

  
Ohm rubbed the lines on his forehead from his pain, taking a deep breath. “I don’t know. None of the guys are answering. Is he there?”

  
“Yeah, yeah.”

  
“No specifics, then. Can you try calling Brock or Tyler for me?”

  
“I’ve already tried,” Mini sounded exasperated, “voicemail.”

  
Ohm cursed, wincing.

  
“Where are you?” The concern in Mini’s voice was hidden - if you didn’t know him, he would have sounded pretty frustrated.

  
“I - fuck, something happened before,” Ohm started, leaning his head back and putting Mini on speaker, “long story short, I’m lost, and down.”

  
Mini cursed beneath his breath, muttering something Ohm couldn’t hear, followed by footsteps.

  
“How bad is it?”

  
“Pretty bad.” Ohm admitted.

  
He could imagine Mini scratching his stubble, the creases on his forehead only appearing when he stressed. He’d seen the exact image time and time again, Mini taking every crew member’s trauma, and Ohm didn’t really get how he stayed as cheery as he was.

  
“Okay, do you have any idea where you are? Tyler didn’t even tell me where you guys were last night, so I’d probably have to track your phone.” Ohm groaned at that, knowing he’d have to buy a new one if Mini tracked his.

  
“Just track it.”

  
“Will do. Are you gonna be okay for a bit before I can get to you?” He heard more footsteps faintly, whilst assessing himself mentally.

  
“You’re not going to move me easily, so just bring the kit.”

  
“Got it. Uh, hey Bryce-”

  
“Don’t you dare get him involved, Mini.” Ohm’s voice was stern, but Mini knew what he was doing.

  
“Do you know basic first aid?” Mini’s voice was quieter now, as if he’d taken his phone away from his ear.

  
“Mini, no-”

  
He didn’t hear Bryce’s reply, but he did hear Mini’s.

  
“I need your help, you down?”

  
Ohm shouted at Mini through the receiver, but on hearing he’d hung up, dropped his phone on the floor. Fuck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OKAY SO sorry that this is such a late upload, i' doing this in a lecture rn, basically life has been really life-y and i decided to do nanowrimo (which went v well niiice) and i've been in hospital a bunch.
> 
> this chapter is what i'd written before i went into hospital. it's all i'm going to be able to give you guys for a while, its unedited, and i have no idea whats happening in this anymore.
> 
> really sorry. i know a lot of you have been expecting updates for a long time, so i apologise.
> 
> BUT. in mid december i'm having some major surgery and i'm going to be in hospital with nothing to do for WEEKS. i'll hopefully crank some stuff out for y'all then. 
> 
> lots of love, char. X X
> 
> (ps ask me about my nanowrimo story and i'll get w e a k and love you forever and ever)


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